The What: In an alternate 18th-century Japan, the Redface Plague sweeps through the populace and kills 75% of the male population. Women step into previously male roles, including that of the Shogun. The Shogun keeps an inner sanctum of men called the Ōoku for her, uh, recreational purposes. It is there that our plucky protagonist, Yunoshin Mizuno, finds himself when his samurai family falls on rough times. Mizuno trades in his freedom for money for his family by joining the Ōoku, but what price will he pay for his sacrifice…?

The Good: Oh, the artwork! The artwork! Crisp, clean lines bring the world of the Ōoku to life. Yoshinaga has a well-trained eye; there is enough detail to make a believable and engaging world, but not so much as to bog down the flow between panels. Beautiful. Also, her drawings of facial expressions are incredible. There is such subtlety in them. Outside of the artwork, there are substantive themes for the thinking reader to ponder. Questions about the nature of political power and the origin of gender differences abound. Also, with its many relationships between those of unequal social status and/or age, this title would be an excellent springboard for discussions of what constitutes consent.

The Meh: Rarely have I taken such pleasure in writing a “Meh” section of a review. Here goes: the cast of tertiary characters is poorly differentiated, the plot is ludicrous, the narrative takes a paperclip bend around the middle of the book and never recovers its momentum… and none of these problems hurt my enjoyment of the book. Yoshinaga has a sharp instinct for “feel,” for the big picture of her work, and she wisely chose to put her time and energy into the facets of the book that made it into the “The Good” section. The “meh” aspects aren’t vital to the book’s overall impact, so no harm, no foul.

Hand It To: Older teens (the sex isn’t particularly steamy, and fades to black without showing anyone’s, um, interesting bits, but the themes are mature), Japanophiles, and older reluctant readers.

Oh my gosh, dear readers, I never meant to leave you for so long. My apologies! An upcoming interstate move and a bout with illness have kept my attention elsewhere, but I’m up for more reviews if you are. We’ll start with Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home.

The What: Fun Home is an autobiographical graphic novel that portrays Bechdel’s life through her college years. The anecdotes she relates weave around the mystery at the core of the book: shortly after a college-aged Bechdel learns that her father is gay, he commits suicide. She is left with photographs and other ephemera, but few answers.

The Good: This book stunned me. I’m familiar with Bechdel’s style from Dykes To Watch Out For, the long-running comic strip, but I didn’t know much about her personal life. Her accounts of growing up in a dysfunctional family that ran a funeral home (which they called the “fun home”) were riveting. One of the hallmarks of DTWOF is Bechdel’s keen yet compassionate observations about human nature; that same gift is evident in her autobiography. Also, her sense of humor leavens serious subject matter without trivializing it.

The Meh: To quote Thom Yorke’s “The Bends,” “I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish something would happen.” Long segments of description, while interesting and aptly illustrated, left me wanting more motion in the plot.

Hand It To: Older teens, NP’s character readers, fans of DTWOF, and GLBTQA high school students.